51–60 of 81 posts
I find it hard to believe that someone with the possible cure to cancer wouldn't bother backing it up. If this is legitimate, I think it's beyond irresponsible. Also, why such a minimal reward?
Time Machine. It works.
Spideroak.com works too. It automatically backups your data to the cloud (securely encrypted!). It synchronizes your data across multiple machines (and multiple OS) and you can access all past versions of your files. It's free if you don't need more than one or two GB. It's the ideal backup tool for researchers that don't generate tons of data and want a simple backup solution.
Sorry guys, but most of the comments in this thread remind me of why we IT people have so much bad PR to overcome. We're blaming the user for our mistake. That's like blaming the cow for leaving the pasture because one of us forgot to lock the gate. The simple fact is that this user should have never been able to be in a position for this to happen. Where were the IT security policies and procedures? Why was mission…
Earlier quoted context omitted.
I'm sick of this attitude of "Always be super nice and make sure you over mother your users" crap. You know what: If my car engine seizes because I haven't changed the oil, no one tells the car makers or the mechanics they didn't do thier job right. If I leave the oven on all night and get CO poisoning, no one blames the oven maker for it. If someone doesn't buy renter's insurance we don't blame the apartment owner f…
The problem with those analogies is that they're due to physical properties which the designers of those cars, ovens, and apartments couldn't control. Oil can't be regenerated. When gas burns, it emits CO. Catastrophes that might hit an apartment are usually out of the architect's control. There are protection schemes, but they're only protection, and they're often expensive. In contrast, software authors are working…
I create a new computer company, and put automatic backing up to my servers In said OS. It's part of the price when you purchase. It is fully encrypted, and strictly there to alleviate these problems -- you can always restore backups from our servers. You know what happens? It isn't heralded as a bright and sunny day where the evil programmers and computer wizard finally did something right. Instead it is the "Worst Thing Ever"(tm) and we are invading the privacy of millions. We must be trying to rape children and torture puppies. We will be branded as evil and Fox News will call for our assassinations.
Just because we make the rules of the software does not mean we make the rules of the society and people who use them.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Surely it's grossly negligent behaviour on her employer's behalf?
I voted you up, but I wanted to note that I (we?) have no idea how her department is run, and the negligence could rest as well in her hands as it could in her employer's hands. Another post here said "Blame the IT department for not establishing rigid policies." These sentiments are good, but... What if the IT department clearly outlined policies for how to store and secure the data? What if the researcher is one of…
We do not have an IT department (we have one or two post-doctoral researchers who keep a couple of servers running for undergraduates).
We do not have IT policies, outside of university-wide intellectual property rules.
There are only personal laptops (in the sense that even though my machine was bought for me, I have full control of it and there is no oversight of how the machine is used).
To the best of my knowledge, this is true of the rest of the university (possibly even worse in other departments).
Time Machine. It works.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
I'm sick of this attitude of "Always be super nice and make sure you over mother your users" crap. You know what: If my car engine seizes because I haven't changed the oil, no one tells the car makers or the mechanics they didn't do thier job right. If I leave the oven on all night and get CO poisoning, no one blames the oven maker for it. If someone doesn't buy renter's insurance we don't blame the apartment owner f…
You need a license to operate your car, not so with your PC. {edit} Some of your users might well be incompetent computer users and wont pass the "test". I have often thought about why people dont do backups even when the new tools are easy for most to handle. I think the reason is psychological in nature. Backup implies that you are at least cognizant of the impending disaster scenario. many people avoid even thinki…
Sorry, this doesn't pass the absurdity test.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
The idea that a "cure" for any type of cancer would only be on one laptop is absurd. It may work in a movie plot, but in real life, no way. At best it would have info on how to possibly, vaguely minimise the suffering in some situations. Cancer is not something that one brilliant researcher can "cure" alone.
Besides, a researcher smart enough to cure cancer is smart enough to back up their computer.
If I had a dollar for every lab computer I've seen whose desktop is full of a few dozen Excel files ("data1.xls", "data2.xls", "new data.xls", "jim new data.xls"...), I would never need to apply for another grant as long as I live.
(2) the hardware could have failed just as easy as the laptop got stolen who would get the blame then?
(3) I don't buy the premise that there is 'cancer cure data' on this laptop to begin with until after it has been recovered they come out with a cure for cancer within measurable time.
(4) If the data is on the laptop it got on to the laptop somehow, either by doing experiments and recording the data or by copying it from some other medium, data does not exist in a vacuum as it's 'only copy'.
(5) $1,000 reward? really? that must be some crappy cure.
(6) What if the researcher 'lost' their laptop on purpose? That's a stretch, but with a claim this big I'd really like them to get to work on re-creating their miraculous results rather than cry over spilled milk, after all, recreating the results can't be nearly as much work as it was to do it all the first time. Assuming the experiments were real there should be a whole pile of knowledge that only needs to be verified rather than created from scratch so this is just a matter of time.
(7) I had a laptop with the design for a small and safe nuclear fusion reactor, unfortunately it got stolen...
What sickens me most about this whole thing is that the 'cure for cancer' gets trotted out again giving a whole pile of people hope that there is such a thing.
Sorry guys, but most of the comments in this thread remind me of why we IT people have so much bad PR to overcome. We're blaming the user for our mistake. That's like blaming the cow for leaving the pasture because one of us forgot to lock the gate. The simple fact is that this user should have never been able to be in a position for this to happen. Where were the IT security policies and procedures? Why was mission…
I'm sick of this attitude of "Always be super nice and make sure you over mother your users" crap. You know what: If my car engine seizes because I haven't changed the oil, no one tells the car makers or the mechanics they didn't do thier job right. If I leave the oven on all night and get CO poisoning, no one blames the oven maker for it. If someone doesn't buy renter's insurance we don't blame the apartment owner f…
It was IT's problem before this person ever came along. That's the whole point.
A few quick questions:
1. Are you capable of implementing an IT infrastructure where it is impossible for a user to lose mission critical data? If not, then you're incompetent. Move along, please.
2. Are you willing to implement an IT infrastructure where it is impossible for a user to lose mission critical data? If not, then you're insubordinate. Move along, please.
3. Is it possible for a user to lose mission critical using an IT infrastructure that you have implemented and administer? If so, then you have a problem. Fix it.
Again, in an institutional environment, it is not the user's responsibility to safeguard mission critical data. By definition, this is one of the primary responsibilities of IT.
(Here's a hint: Mission critical data ever on a c: drive = IT failure)
I'm sick of this attitude of ...
And your customers are sick of your attitude. Thanks for demonstrating my point far more effectively that I could ever verbalize it.